The door opening caught my attention but who walked through it made me laugh a little. He was probably around six foot tall. His brown, messy, spiked hair did nothing for him but add to his cocky demeanor as he eyed me up and down.
"What are you looking at?"
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was only looking at him because he was looking at me.
"Absolutely nothing worth concentrating on."
"Then tell me your name, sugar, so I can be."
"She's not your sugar, and I think the best idea right now would be for you to walk out of this room and get as far away from me as possible."
I hadn't realized he was standing behind me, and when I turned in my chair I could see Canyon’s nostrils flaring.
Before the asshole could mutter a reply, the door swung open again. This time with a blond running through it screaming, "Are you done yet? We're going to be late for class!"
"Oh, he's ready."
Her head snapped over to Canyon as I sat mortified of the situation. Here I was trying to start school and the few people that I encountered were dealing with a raging Canyon.
Standing up from my chair, I placed my hand on his chest to calm him down even though I was boiling inside.
"Are you new here?"
Being the only one new I assumed she was talking to me, but instead she was making her way to Canyon with her sights locked on him.
"No, he's not, but I am."
More authority came with those words than I thought I could muster.
"Wow, don't bite. I was just asking a question."
"And I just gave you your answer."
All four of us were at a standoff until my name was called from the back of the room. Grabbing Canyon's hand, I pulled him with me as I walked away.
"Hey. Arianna!"
I had no idea what else she could want but my reflexes didn't care. Looking back at her, she had her hands on her hips wearing a smile and said, "I'm Tonya, by the way. I think I just found my new best friend," before she walked out the door she came in.
"Well that girl is one French fry short of a Happy Meal."
Looking back at Canyon, I couldn't help but laugh.
"What did you just say?"
"Are you sure you want to enroll here?"
I glanced over at the man waiting for me to fill out the forms.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Two hours later, I was officially signed up for ten hours. I knew I could take on more, but Shelby was my ultimate concern. She would have homework herself, and if I was loaded down with my own there would be no time to help her.
"So where to next?"
"I have to be back to grab Shelby when school lets out."
"Okay, we can all go back to my house after we grab her. I know you don't want to be at yours if you don't have to."
"Speaking of that house. Who's been cleaning it?"
"What?"
"It's spotless. Someone has to be taking care of it."
"That would be Hilary. I pay her monthly. Well, I try to, but she won't take it."
"No way! How is she? I can't wait to see her again and thank her for everything she did for me."
"You will get your chance tomorrow, actually. She comes out around noon every fourth Friday."
By the time we got back in town, Shelby was getting out of school. Watching her run from the building beaming from excitement made any question I had about leaving null and void.
"That was so much fun!"
She jumped in the back seat without stopping for a breath before she told us all about her day. She was still talking when I pulled into Canyon's driveway.
"All right, squirt, let's go inside and you can finish."
She never stopped. From getting out of the truck until we walked into the kitchen, her stories kept coming.
"I never heard you talk once about your day in Alabama like you are—"
"That's because Alabama sucked!"
"That's not entirely true."
"When it comes to school it is. Here I have all my friends and even my new teacher is awesome. You should see..."
She went on for so long Canyon and I were about to pull our hair out when the back door swung open.
"Oh, look who it is. I thought you lived next door?"
"I thought you had manners."
My head snapped at the little firecracker sitting next to me who happened to just blurt out exactly what I was thinking.
"Shelby!"
"No, don't correct her. She's right. Brooke, if you're going to come here you will show them respect."
I placed my hands on the table and pushed my chair back.
"It's time to go."
"So soon? Darn. Well, have a good night."
I was just about to walk over and slap a pregnant woman when Shelby piped up again.
"There is no respect in you, is there?"
"Shelby! Walk!"
"Absolutely not! Shelby, don't you move. Brooke, get out!"
"What?"
"I said, get out!"
"Canyon, what did I do?" She began rubbing her belly. "I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just said have a good night. What's wrong with that?"
I had Shelby's hand and was pulling her from the house while they argued over Brooke's behavior. This was exactly what I didn't want to deal with. Why I thought things could be easier was just as stupid as believing Brooke had any motive other than keeping us away.
"You can stop pulling me, you know; I know how to walk."
I let go but never slowed my pace down.
"Then do it and get in the truck."
Chapter 7
When we got back to the house, Shelby stormed straight to her room. I, on the other hand, went to the kitchen trying to keep myself from losing it by finding something to cook for dinner when I heard the front door open.
"Look, I'm sorry for that, but you have—"
I slammed the refrigerator door closed and walked into the family room cutting him off.
"I don't have to do anything! I can't stand even looking at that girl, and she just walks around your house like she owns the place. That was once my house too, Canyon! You and I were going to share our lives there and now she's dug her claws into it!"
"Settle down. It's not like that."
"Don't tell me to settle down. She hates me, and believe me, she's not much lower on my list either. I don't want to be around her, and I don't have to be. You are the one who had sex with her¸ not me!"
I regretted it as soon as it came out, and the look on his face showed cause for feeling that way.
"Stop throwing it in my face! I am trying my best here, but I can't be in the middle of you two. It's hard enough knowing whether I want her to or not she's going to be in my life forever now. She's the mother of my child."
"And for that reason you need to be there not here."
"You really want me to leave?"
"Yes, I want you to go. I need you to go."
"Well too bad! I don't want to be there any more than you do. She's a hormonal freak right now! One minute she's crying, the next she's throwing things at me because I didn't comfort her. I don't know what the hell she needs other than to go back to school, but I can't say that. I have to be nice, and it's killing me!"
I was shocked speechless. I had no idea how he truly felt about her.
"Well hiding here isn't going to work. She knows where you are."
"I'm not hiding. I'm trying to make sure we're okay. I'm done kissing her ass while she's rude to you. I told her if she can't be civil she can leave and only contact me when it comes to something about the baby."
"I bet that went over well."
"She started to cry as usual. This time I just left. I feel like the biggest prick in the world, but I would swear that she can turn those tears on and off like a light switch. It's crazy."
He was actually seeing Brooke for what she is. I wasn't sure if he was willing, but I got my answer.
"I don't know
what to tell you. She's miserable and wants you to be there with her."
"I was! Before you came back, I was. Now I couldn't be if I tried. You are my everything, and I can't let her push you away."
“But don't you see? That's what she is doing!"
"Then don't let her."
"It's not up to me to do anything. She's your problem. And as long as she's there I'm not coming back."
"If that’s the way you feel then it's settled."
He walked out of the front door as if leaving me was the easiest thing to do. I will admit it stung. Yes, I told him he needed to, but I selfishly wanted him to fight harder.
Not realizing he walked back in I heard, "I forgot something."
Looking around, I didn't remember him bringing anything with him so when he walked up to me and kissed me I was completely shocked.
"What was that for?"
"To remind you that I'm not the one wanting to give up on us."
He turned and walked back out the door screaming, "I love you, Ari!"
I smiled even though my heart tightened. No one ever said love was easy, but this completely sucked.
My classes started the following Monday which left us five days to enjoy together. Canyon had sent Brooke packing and she made sure to let him know what a mistake he was making by doing so. Without her there, the rest of the week was amazing. The horses from Alabama came which meant Shelby now had two. She didn't like to play favorites, but how do you ride both at the same time?
Giving her permission to ride was something Canyon wasn't used to either. He was more protective of her than I was which only reminded me of his fatherly love for her. His rules were simple: Don't go anywhere we can't see you. She didn't even argue which was so out of character; she simply loved being on a horse and was willing to follow any rule that would allow her that freedom.
The three of us together made daily rides a priority. Magnus was, and always will be, my chosen horse while Canyon took to Cain like bread on butter. The two fell instantly in love.
Everything seemed to be falling back into place as if the time apart never happened. We were once again a family. I tried with everything I had to not let myself get close again, but I learned long ago that when it came to Canyon Michaels there was no point. He was just that final piece in our puzzle to make it complete.
Monday came all too quickly. After dropping Shelby off at school, I got on the highway and began my hour and a half drive while thinking about Canyon at breakfast that morning.
Shelby and I were arguing over a shirt she wanted to wear to school that I deemed inappropriate.
"It's cute, and I want to show my friends!"
"There are certain things you don't wear to school, and that is one of them. End of discussion."
"Then why did you even buy it?"
I was asking myself the same question.
The shirt up for debate was a pink tank top I couldn't pass up a few days before that said, 'Do these boots make me look sexy?' I know it isn't something a nine-year-old should wear, but I really was picturing her in her work boots, out cleaning the barn where no one other than us could see her. Not with cut-off jean shorts and cowgirl boots that she convinced Canyon she had to have.
"I said no, and I mean it. I will take the shirt away if you keep asking me."
"It's just not fair!"
Canyon came into the kitchen holding the very shirt we were arguing over in his hand. I was about to kill him for letting her have her way when he held it up and Shelby gasped for breath.
"What did you do?"
"I thought this way you can wear it after all."
He had clearly taken a black sharpie marker to it, scratching out the word 'sexy' and replaced it with 'like I'm 10'
"What? You're only nine. I thought the ten part would be cute."
It now said, Does this shirt make me look like I’m 10?
"Cute? It looks stupid!"
I couldn't hold my laugh in any longer.
"Arianna! Stop laughing! He ruined my shirt!"
Canyon apparently didn't care for her tone and snapped, "Well then I guess you don't want to wear it to school after all."
She gave him the dirtiest look imaginable while scraping her chair across the floor before she stomped from the room and out the door.
"I'll be waiting in the truck!"
The look Canyon had on his face was priceless. He was honestly shocked at her reaction.
"You didn't really think she would like that, did you?"
He threw the shirt on the table before he sat down in a chair dumbfounded.
"I was trying to get you guys to stop arguing. I don't really care about the shirt, but when did she get so angry?"
"My guess? Probably when she got her hopes up that our mom would show back up and didn't. She'll be fine. Don't take it personally."
"I'm trying not to, but my sweet little Shelby..."
"Is growing up."
"I'm not ready for that."
"Well you get to start at the beginning in a few short months. Don't be too sad."
He looked down at the floor in a daze. Glancing at the clock, I knew I had no time to console him; Shelby needed to get to school. I slapped his leg to wake him up and said, "I gotta get going. Have a good day, stud, and don't worry too much about Shelby. She'll be fine."
"Yeah, if she's anything like her big sister she's going to be just perfect."
I kissed him on the forehead and walked out the back door hearing, "Have a great first day, darlin’!"
I blew him a kiss and continued on to the truck where a very mad Shelby was waiting.
"That was plain rude what you did in there. I will not let you treat anyone that way, little lady. You need to appreciate what you have and not be angry about what you lost."
She didn't respond but began to cry instead as I drove down the street.
"I'm sorry. Can I use your phone to call Canyon?"
"I think that would be a good idea."
After handing over my phone I listened to her beg him for forgiveness. By the end of the conversation she was smiling, and I knew all was good between them. She hung up as we entered the school parking lot.
"Thanks for letting me talk to him. And thanks for being the coolest sister ever. I shouldn't have been so mean over a stupid shirt anyway."
"Part of that was my fault. I shouldn't have bought it to begin with, but we are still learning as we go. I'm not perfect either. Now quit beating yourself up over this and go have a great day."
"Okay. I hope your first day goes good."
"Thanks, hun. I love you."
"Love you more."
She let the door close without hearing me say, "That's impossible."
As I parked my truck and headed off to my first college class I thought about how Canyon was going to be an amazing father. But what I needed to focus on more than anything was my own child to raise and her actions that morning let me know it wasn't going to be an easy road for either of us.
Chapter 8
I never expected to walk out of my first day with my head held high. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed learning, and I was exactly where I wanted to be. Nothing I imagined could take me from that mood until the unthinkable happened.
"Arianna, wait up!"
Only two girls knew my name at that school, and I cringed at the thought of having any kind of conversation with either of them. My control of the situation was stripped from me when she caught up with my walking pace.
"Hey! Wait up a second."
Feeling her hand take my arm, I stopped and looked at Tonya, the girl I met at the admin office.
"What's up?"
"Nothing, actually. I just wanted to say hi and thought maybe we could go grab a bite to eat or something."
Or something was what I was focused on.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to get back before my sister gets out of school."
"Well, maybe tomorrow then?"
"Same issue."
; "Are you really picking up your sister or are you trying to avoid me?" She looked down, disappointed.
"Why would I lie?"
"Probably because normal people don't ask total strangers to spend time with them. But you see, I never claimed to be normal."
She kicked the dust on the concrete below us before she looked up and smiled. I, of course, caved.
"I guess I have ten minutes if we can make it fast."
Her smile was so genuine that I knew ten minutes would suffice her, and I could cut my ties.
"Perfect! The coffee house is just across the commons."
"I'll follow you."
I had no desire to get stuck there any longer than the ten minutes I promised, but ironically Tonya turned out to be easy to talk to. She was nothing like what my first impression had her pegged to be. She was from Ohio and was in her sophomore year, allowing her to know everything about everyone. She made a point to tell me who was worth befriending and who to steer clear of, but the irony that Brooke's name came up on her list had me smiling from ear to ear.
"What's that smile for? She's a bitch!"
That brought on a barking laugh.
"You obviously know who I'm talking about. How? Didn't you say you grew up in Baltimore?"
I wasn't proud of what I was going to say. If anything it made me look downright stupid, but I said it anyway. There was something about her that made me feel comfortable. As if she wouldn't judge me the way she did everyone else.
"No, um, well, she is kind of pregnant with my kind of boyfriend's kid."
Her eyes opened wide while her jaw dropped, making her go speechless.
"Yeah, great, isn't it?"
She lowered her head, fidgeting with a napkin on the table as if she had something to say but was holding it back.
"What?"
When she looked up at me her expression changed to sorrow.
"Nothing, I just feel bad for you."
"Yeah, well, it is what it is. I'm just here to move forward with my own life, and whatever happens with that situation is on them."
She looked down at her watch.
"It's been twenty minutes. I don't want you to be late for your sister."
I hadn't realized time had gone by so quick.
"Damn, I need to get going. Maybe tomorrow we can do this again?"
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